Page 12 of Death Cap

I could feel Morel’s gaze heavy upon my shoulders. “I used to ask myself that every day.” I turned, seeing tears in his eyes. I quickly stood, realizing the pain he must be experiencing, seeing me here, in his wife’s garden. It hurt me to see him in pain, knowing I was the cause of his suffering.

“You shouldn’t have brought me here.” I lowered my head and brushed past him, leaving. “This was a mistake.” My head began to spin, my breathing out of control as I stumbled past the ivy curtain and quickened my pace.

“Amanita!” He called after me, shadowing me. I began to panic as words and images flooded my brain. I stumbled through the snow, the light of the death caps fading with his voice.

What is happening?My head screamed the further I moved from him, as if wanting me to head back. Flashes of kisses, mushrooms, and the night sky flew past my mind’s eye leaving me helpless and unable to see. I tripped, falling towards the ground, when he caught me.

“My lady,” he called as I gripped my head trying to silence the memories. His voice was distant, trying to pierce the loud playing sounds. “Amanita!” His scream sounded like a whisper. I could feel him shaking me, trying to bring me back to reality, but it was no use.

“Who am I?!” I cried, screaming across the loud sounds. “Make it stop, please. Make it stop!” I slammed my eyes shut, curling into myself, drowning in the overload.

“Wolfsbane!” My eyes shot open, the world dropping into silence as everything stopped. My head halted, calming immediately at the name. I stared up at Morel, his eyes red with tears as he frantically remained still, watching me.

“What did you call me?” My question was soft and quiet. “What did you call me?” I demanded again, desperately waiting for him to respond.

His amber eyes glistened, snow kissing his dark hair as he held me close. “Forgive me, but I cannot watch you suffer in such a way.” I watched him, the pieces slowly falling into place, the same look in his eyes as the day I fell. “Please, tell me you remember. Do you remember?” I stared at him, unable to answer. “Do you remember us,Hesper?” Everything clicked suddenly, the pieces falling perfectly into place at the sound of my name falling from his lips.

“I am your wolfsbane.” His eyes watched me, stunned by my statement. “Your little shadow.” I choked on my tears as the great king of darkness crumbled before me.

“My love.” He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me as we cried into one another, as if this was our first time to do so. “I shall never leave you again.”

I inhaled his scent, the musk aroma comforting me as I whispered into his chest. “Until the heavens fall onto the earth, I shall remain your shadow. Always.”

Moral held my head in his hands, smiling with tears in his eyes. “You remember.” I nodded, the two of us laughing through our tears. “I remember everything, my love.” I touched his cheek, holding his face in my own hands as we sat in the snow, the night sky glistening above us.

I was home.

SEVENTEEN

AGARIC

“I will not say it again!”My voice boomed as I flipped a nearby chair, fuming with rage. “If he has Hesper, if she somehow remembers who she really is—” I grabbed my head, desperately trying to figure out what to do.

“My prince,” the old man stuttered, “we do not know if the effects of the poison can even be reversed. It would require someone extensively skilled, someone who has studied the particular fungi for decades. The chances of Queen Hesper—”

“She is not a queen!” I growled. “That bitch was a mere pawn in my game, and now,” I exhaled, “now, my traitorous brother has his hands on her and will surely find a way to make her remember. He cannot survive without his wife. This will only fuel him. His desire to attack Dryade will grow with each second we waste debating the unimportant details.” I gripped the old man’s collar, yanking his close as he flinched. “We must be ready. We must prepare for war. Darkness will be coming, and once it is upon us, there is nothing we can do to stop it.”

EIGHTEEN

HESPER

The heavy fluorescentglow of the death caps covered our skin as we stood together, gazing into one another’s eyes. My heart was overflowing with joy and happiness, reunited with my king. Morel yanked the latch of my coat, my fur dropping to the snow as he removed his own. He rolled his sleeves, exposing his pale, scarred arms, scars he had gained alongside me in our many battles together. I glanced at the matching scars along my skin as he raised my hand, pushing my sleeve down to my elbow. His touch warmed me, a look in his eyes sparking my soul.

Morel turned my left hand over, the deep scar glowing blue in the light. It was a visual reminder of our wedding night, the night we made a sacred blood oath to remain together forever, tying our souls together so that we may remain as one for all eternity. He pulled a dagger from his belt, the blade glinting the moonlight. His amber eyes bore into mine as he turned his own hand over and dug the blade across the scar, his deep blood appearing purple in the fluorescence.

“Hesper, my queen, my wife.” He spoke the words perfectly, his blood dripping onto the snow, as he continued. “I re-devote myself to you, same as the night of our wedding, tying my heartand my soul with yours, for all of eternity. Only this time, I swear to you, my love, that even death himself cannot part us. I will follow you, even if you leave this world, remaining by your side until the end of time itself. There is no force in this world or the next that can stop me from being with you. I am yours.”

Tears of bliss poured from my eyes as I took the dagger, running the bloody tip deep across my own scar. “And I re-devote myself to you, Morel. My king. My husband. May our hearts and souls remain intertwined, forged together in the darkness for all of eternity. I will follow you into death, from this world to the next, our love impenetrable and unstoppable. No force in this world or the next can stop us. You are mine, and I am yours.” Morel grabbed my hand, our bloody palms squeezing together, the warm drips of our promise falling into the snow. He leaned forward, slamming his lips into mine, the love and desire crashing into me as if I had not been with him in centuries. The unshakable tie between us was overwhelming, holding nothing back as we tore the clothes off one another, blood smearing our pale skin as we exchanged fiery kisses, our hot breaths fogging the cold night. Snow fell onto our heads, melting against the heat of our bodies.

We stumbled back, falling into the snow, my back barely missing the death caps as the mix of hot and cold enhancing the moment. My hand ran along his bare chest, feeling the scar that plastered his heart. It ached my heart to see such a wound on him. “We are matching,” he whispered as he kissed me, his fingers gently touching the scar on my abdomen. “Both scarred by the sun himself.”

“Does it hurt?” I asked, my blood streaking the raised mark.

Morel placed his hand atop mine, smiling as his hair dangled above me. “I feel nothing but love for you, wolfsbane. Agaric tried to pierce my heart, but he could not as my heart was not inmy chest.” He stroked my face. “My heart is here, with you, my little shadow. And forever that is where it shall remain.”

I gripped his neck, pulling him closer as I kissed him, our tongues twisting together. My legs wrapped around his waist, pulling his body closer. I had no patience. I wanted him, here and now.

Moral gripped my hands, pinning them into the snow, squeezing tight as his mouth broke from mine and traveled down my neck. His tongue traced the various scars, making its way to my breasts. He swirled along my hardened nipples, his teeth gently biting them. My body jolted, reacting to the pleasing touch, my center growing wet with desire and anticipation. It had been too long since we were last together. The craving was dangerously uncontrollable. He kissed my breasts, his hot breath warming my skin, licking the snowflakes as they touched me.

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